Behind Every Great Man
by abstractular
Summary: Behind every great man, is a great woman. That's not true for the Yondaime and his wife. She's been by his side the whole time. The story of The fourth Hokage's marrige, leading on even after his death.
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters blah blah blah

Behind Every Great Man

She first saw him when he was walking with his kids down the street. He had looked at her, smiled and waved. She returned it. After that, they saw each other in the hallway at the Jounin office and often made polite conversation. Just enough to know each other's names.It was only when she had to bring him the message that the Hokage wished to see him that their friendship started to take off. He kept pestering her to tell him what it was about, and she simply smiled.

"Well, am I in trouble?"

"I don't know."

"Am I getting promoted?"

"I don't know."

"Well, you're no help."

"All he told me was to get you and tell you to see him immediately."

He made a small whining noise and his face fell a little. She chose then to look him over, he was an attractive man, and with his face hung in that expression, it made him look like a child. She laughed softly and chided him.

"If you're so anxious then go see him and find out what it is."

He chuckled and grinned down at her, saying that she was right, before going off in a puff of smoke.

It was later that night, when she was eating at the Ichiraku ramen shop that she saw him again. He took a plop in the seat next to her, and rested his chin on his hand, grinning at her.

"Thank you so much for giving me that message."

She made a confused "Hmm?" and looked over at him. Then she realized how stupid she looked, an eyebrow raised, and a wad of ramen sticking out of her mouth. She quickly gulped down her food and replaced her "Hmm?" with an "Eh?"

"What did the Hokage want?"

He smiled and then leaned forward, motioning for her to do the same.

"There's a very good possibility that I am going to be the fourth."

Her eyebrows raised and her mouth dropped open.

"A good possibility? What does that mean?"

"It means," He sighed. "That some of the elders are second guessing it because of my age. They think because I'm so young it will be a mistake."

She looked him older. "So young? I suppose that's true. How old are you? Nineteen?"

"Twenty-one."

She smiled and commented how he didn't look it. That took off their conversation on age and how everyone in his family looks a little younger than they are. They talked and laughed until the owner of the store mentioned that it was ten thirty at night and they were closing. That was when they decided to say their good-byes and leave. But his was different than what he normally gave her. All the other times she saw him he just said, "I'll see you around." But tonight it was different.

"So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I mean…you are going to work…right?"

"Oh! Uh, yes. I just didn't expect for you to…"

She trailed off and smiled softly at him.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded, grinned and left.

What shocked her was that she did see him tomorrow. She also saw him the day after that, and the day after that until they had talked with each other every day for two months. Then it was on her twenty-first birthday that he took her out for a celebration. It was also the first time she had ever been drunk, and the first time she rode home on his back.

"How drunk are you anyway?"

"Drunk enough to know I'm drunk."

He laughed, a sound that vibrated through his shoulder blades where her head was resting. He continued to laugh until she mentioned how her current state happened to be his entire fault.

"Hey, I'm not the one who forced you to order six more beers."

"No, but you didn't tell me not to."

"Point."

The walks went on in silence, with her simply listening to his footsteps on the ground and feel his steady breathing against her ivory cheek. It was so relaxing; that she hadn't even realized that she had asked him if he wanted to hear a secret of hers.

"What?"

"Hmm? Oh…well, do you promise you won't laugh."

"Cross my heart."

"I want to be an ANBU. I've wanted to be an elite ever since I became a Genin. Now I've been a Jounin for about a year. Maybe it's time to take the next step."

Then she shook her head against his back, and muttered how it was a stupid dream. That was when he cut her off with a firm voice. The tone of voice he used when his students doubted themselves.

"It's not a stupid dream. No dream is a stupid one. Dreams are things that we want to achieve. Goals in our life that we reach for. If we don't have dreams, then we have no reason to move forward. We have no motivation. Don't ever doubt your dreams, or you abilities. I'm sure you'll become an ANBU. You just have to try. I believe in you."

Maybe it was then. Maybe it was in the exact moment that he finished that little speech that she fell in love with him. Of course she didn't know it. But her heart became renewed. It was also in that moment that she knew, this was the next Hokage. He would be the greatest that this village has ever seen.

Months went by, and she worked harder and harder, pushing herself to the next limit. The young woman would train in the rain, in the sun, and underneath a cloudy sky. He would often spar with her, motivating her to go to the next level. But one day he told her that she was pushing herself too hard and she needed to take a break. She just replied that he should talk less and punch more. But he was right. A week later, in the middle of sparing with her, she collapsed. When she woke up, she was in an unfamiliar bed, with a very familiar hand holding onto hers in the tightest grip that she ever felt from a man. She whispered his name, and his eyes locked onto hers. There was fear in those cerulean orbs. Fear for her. He commented on it.

"I almost thought I lost you."

"How long was I asleep?"

"A week."

"Where am I?"

"The hospital."

Her eyes widened. She sat up, but her muscles ached and she winced, until a strong hand pushed her gently back down onto the mattress. Their eyes locked again, and he didn't realize that his hand had moved up to her hair, and his thumb was brushing against her cheek.

Three weeks later and she had claimed the title of his girlfriend. That was when he had taken her to see his kids. The girl had warmed up to her right away, smiling and commenting on how the adults looked standing next to each other.

"You look so cute together, sensei!"

The boy looked her over once, and then nodded his head. She could tell that he was smiling slightly by the way his eyes gleamed. Even though he had a mask on.

"You're good for him."

That's what the boy told her.

A year later she sat him down with a large smile and told him she had news. He replied that he did too. She started first.

"How does it feel dating an ANBU?"

He grinned and kissed her, saying how he always knew she would do it and he was very proud of her. She then asked him what his news was. He took her hand in his and asked a simple question that would change both their lives.

"How would you like to marry the Fourth Hokage?"

Author's Note: Ok, so this is about the Yondaime and Naruto's mother. Going on the theory that he is Naruto's dad. It's going to be a three-part story. The next part will be told in Naruto's dad's point of view, and the last part in his mom's. I don't really like how this part came out, but the next two will be better, I hope. Reviews welcome.


	2. The Middle

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Naruto. I simply use them as tools of my amusement.

Behind Every Great Man- Part two

When she was my friend, I had found out that she was rather loud, impatient, and absolutely addicted to ramen. I had often chided her, telling her that she had to eat something other than ramen to stay healthy. She just brushed off the words with a wave of her hand and commented how ramen has to have some of the food groups in it.

When she was my girlfriend, I had found that she was good with animals, children, and pretty much all-living things. There was no way that any one could hate her. She was just too kind; she had a way of making you feel good with just a smile. That's how I discovered that there were two sides to her. One that was calm and happy, and the other that only came out when she was in battle. The demon that was fierce, cold, and calm.

Then, we married one-spring day underneath the falling cherry blossoms. It was only about three months after I had become the Yondaime. But it was odd how in some way, everything I had ever done in my life had led up to right then. Every painful memory I had ever gone through, I would relive just to get to that day. The day that she came up to me in a white dress, with my girl, Rin, by her side. It struck me as amazing how her and Rin had taken to each other. They acted like sisters. My boy, Kakashi, had just shrugged and replied in one simple sentence.

"You could do a hell of a lot worse."

That, in my experience, was Kakashi-speak for "I like her and she brings out the best in you."

In our marriage, I had some of the best times of my life. I smiled nearly every day, and when we fought, I had to try and keep a smile off my face because she looked so cute when she was angry. But even when we fought, we always worked our way through it to get to the smiles away. I would always say cheesy romance lines to her, the kind that you read about in one of my sensei's perverted books. But she would just smile slightly, and roll her eyes with a blush on her cheeks, saying that I was the cheesiest guy in the universe, but she loved me anyway. She hardly said any romantic words, besides "I love you." But she said that three-letter sentence every day. But she didn't have to say any romantic words with me. Because she was a woman of action, and all her romance was in those actions. Oh God how it was in those actions.

Sometimes though, her actions weren't quite so great.

She had come into my office one day, all decked out in her ANBU uniform, with her mask pulled over her face. I knew it was her though by her footsteps and her scent. She walked up to the front of my desk and bowed. We had made a deal that whenever we were in uniform; we were no longer husband and wife. We were Hokage and ANBU. She was my subordinate, and I was her leader. That was the way we worked. I nodded my head at her, a slightly pained expression on my face. My stomach had been killing me all day. It felt like a little mutated animal was going to break through the skin and rear it's ugly head.

"I come to you today, not as an ANBU but as your wife, Hokage-sama."

I nodded at her.

"Continue on."

She pulled up her mask and ran over to where I was behind my desk, saying my name desperately.

"Please tell me you did not drink the milk that was in the fridge this morning."

I paused.

"Why?"

She groaned, and then muttered a cursed sentence.

"It was over its expiration date."

I could have thrown up right then. She looked up at me with pleading eyes, then hugged me, her head on my shoulder and one arm around my neck while the other was on my stomach.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I forgot to throw it out! It's all my fault!"

Oh yes, that was such a fun day. But then there were other times that she came into my office that were quite…enjoyable.

"Hokage-sama."

I looked up and nodded at the bowing ANBU. She lifted up her mask, revealing the face of my beloved, and walked up and sat on my desk. I cast a confused look at her.

"I'm on my lunch break."

I nodded and she smiled and leaned forward, kissing me softly. She had such a way that when she kissed me, one of her hands always cupped my cheek, while the other went into my hair. I don't know why she did this; I had never really found the need to ask. But somehow it was something that brought us closer together.

She had pulled away, smiled, and looked at the Hokage's hat that lay on my desk.

"Hey, can I try it on?"

I chuckled.

"Be my guest."

She lifted the red and white hat, and put it over her head, then looked at me.

"How's it look?"

"Wow, see, I don't look all cute when I wear it."

She laughed and put it back onto my desk, then asked me how my day was.

"Uneventful."

Being a Hokage wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. I mean, sure, you were declared the strongest ninja in the village, and you could fight and everything. But, really, when there wasn't any fighting going on, you just sat in your office and did paper work all day. That was the sucky boring part of the job, and my wife knows that I have to keep moving around, or else I start to get twitchy.

Months passed, and about six months into our marriage she confronted me with a question.

"Love, how would you like to be a daddy?"

My jaw dropped to the floor. I could feel my eyes become saucers. I pointed at her stomach and uttered two words.

"You…mean…"

She nodded, and smiled nervously.

I let out a loud whoop followed by a fit of laughter as I wrapped my arms around her waist and swung her around in a circle. Then I set her down and held her tightly.

"This…this is…well, I don't think amazing quite covers it! How did you find out?"

"I felt a shift in my chakra, so I went to the medics, they did an exam and told me. Also, the fact that I've been sick the past few weeks helped me out a bit."

"How far along are you?"

"About a month and a half."

I kneeled down so I was face to face with her stomach and lifted her shirt, putting a hand on her bare skin. I smiled and patted her flesh.

"Hello in there. Hi! I'm you're daddy!"

She laughed, and patted my head.

"I'm only a month and a half pregnant, dear, the baby doesn't have any ears yet, and he can't hear you."

"He?"

She shrugged.

"Call it mother's intuition, but I just know it's going to be a boy."

I had only cried a few times in my life. The first time, was when my student, Obito, passed on. The second time, was when I found out I was going to be a father.

About six months later, my wife walked around with a hand on her round belly and a smile on her face…except for those times when she cried because she put her shoes on the wrong feet. She had smiled as we picked out names for our son, but in the end we had agreed on Naruto. But among all that joy that was going on in my life, terror started to show it's ugly little head. I received news that a nine-tailed fox demon was making its way towards Konoha. It had already desecrated four villages. I told the Jounin and ANBU to keep a look out for it. That was really all that we could do for now.

The months flew past, and three months later, my wife came to my office one day and calmly stated that she was going into labor and would like to be taken to the infirmary.

Within three hours into her labor, an ANBU appeared next to me and told me a sentence that would break me.

"The nine-tailed fox had just appeared on the horizon. It will be outside Konoha within the hour."

I nodded and told him that I would be there in a moment. He disappeared and I sent a look to my wife. She nodded.

"Go on, Hokage. You're village needs you. I'll be there as soon as I can."

I nodded in thanks, and kissed her a few times in apology. I wouldn't be there to see my son's birth. But I would damn well make sure that he would have a village to grow up in.

When I had appeared outside the gates of the village, the entire ANBU and Jounins were there, including Kakashi. The fourteen-year-old Jounin appeared next to me and gave me a report.

"He's taken out a village to the west. Within five minutes he'll be in front of us."

He was. Within three minutes, all of the Ninja of Konoha were fighting the nine-tailed fox. I could hear the screams and cries echo in my ears as some of the best ninja were killed and wounded. The fox was so large, that when it whipped its tail, the east side of the village turned into smoke and rubble. I felt my breath hitch in my throat until I realized that the hospital was on the west side. I barked out orders and did a million jutsu. Before I knew it, things had gotten so bad that was standing on my great giant frog, my partner in war. Within a half hour of the battle, I had decided. There was no way that we could beat him. Not like this. But I could. There was only one way I could.

The forbidden sealing jutsu.

It was the only answer. But I don't think anyone would want a fox in them. Except…

No, I couldn't do that to him. Not to him. It would be torture. He would be alone. But he wouldn't. He would have his mother. Someone to love him. He would be a hero, the one who harbored the bloodthirsty giant. Yes, my son was the new hero of Konoha.

Right as I made this decision, an ANBU appeared next to me. Even with the metallic scent of blood, I could make out the scent of vanilla. My wife was standing next to me. By the way her body stood, I could see she was tired. I wanted to shout at her for being here. Tell her that she was too weak with the blood loss. She said my name, and I looked over at her. She must have seen in my eyes the decision that I had come to, because she shook her head and replied in an equally firm voice.

"Hokage-sama, as an ANBU of this village I can not allow you to do this."

"Denied."

She looked into my eyes pleadingly.

"Then as your wife and the mother of your son, I beg of you…don't do this."

I smiled softly at her.

"I have to. You know that I do. It's the only way. Now go back to the hospital."

Her anger and sorrow flared, tears set in her eyes.

"No! There has to be another way! Think of Naruto!"

"I am. I do not wish for my son to grow up in this. For him to grow up in a time of terror and confusion. When I do this, he will be a hero. Love, listen to me. This is the only way, there is no alternative. If I sacrifice my life it could save the lives of thousands. That's an equal trade to me. We always said that we would be professional. This is what I have to do."

She searched my eyes, as if there she would find some compromise. Some other way for us to win. But in the end, she nodded, and tears fell down her cheeks. She knew who I was, and what I stood for. She knew that when I was just me, my wife and family came first. She also knew, that when I was Hokage my village came first. There was always someone else's safety above my own.

I smiled sadly at her; kissed her, told her I loved her, then said for her to give Naruto a hug for me.

She nodded, and I know the last thing I said to her.

"Go be with our son."

She disappeared. That was the last time I saw my wife.


	3. The End

Disclaimer: Still…I don't own Naruto. But hey, You can get anything on eBay!

Author's Note: The last chapter, I'm done! Wow! This story was originally longer, and his mom did have a name, and a face so did his dad. But I didn't like the idea of making an OC. I wanted to keep it the way it was. So here it is. The last chapter. Thank you so much for all the reviews that I got. I'm so happy that everyone liked this story so much!

Behind Every Great Man

Part Three: The end

How did I get back to the hospital? I don't remember.

But I'm standing there, on the first floor, and my ears are burning with the cries of wounded ninja. My body quakes with each stomping step a medic takes to go out to the field of battle and help there. I couldn't take it anymore, all the screams and shouts. I shut my eyes and brought my hands together, forming a seal, then disappeared and reappeared on the third floor. The maternity floor.

I slowly walked by the windows that showed all the babies that were born recently. My son wasn't in there. He was in a separate room, alone. My heart sank, but I came across a closed door, that had a file hanging over it.

Uzumaki Naruto 

I opened the door and went inside. The room was dark; there were a few candles, but nothing much. In the middle of the room was a small wooden crib and a blue blanket. A fair-haired baby was lying there, crying. I became angry with the staff. How could they just leave a newborn here unattended? I walked up to the small child and lifted him and the blanket up, covering him. While I was covering him, I noticed a mark on his stomach. A seal. Tears came to my eyes. So I was right in suspecting that he was the one who harbored him. I smiled softly and kissed my son's forehead. He stopped crying and stared at me through large blue eyes. His father's eyes.

He looked so much like him, with a few differences, his father's hair and eyes, and my nose and mouth. I stepped out of the dark room and into the light hallway. The door closed behind me, and the baby in my arms squirmed a bit. I smiled and sucked in a breath.

"Hey there, Naruto."

I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the cold floor. My son stared up at me, and his little hands clenched into pudgy fists by his head. I smiled and began to speak with him.

"I'm your mommy. You, heh, you came into the world at a messed up time, kiddo. But that's all right. You've been the most joyful part of my day. We, um…"

I choked on my words and my vision clouded over with tears.

"We lost someone very important to us tonight, Naruto. We lost your daddy. He's a hero, son. Your dad is a great hero. You…_you _are a great hero."

I could feel the tears start to slide down my cheeks, and I took in another breath.

"Your daddy, he told me to give this to you. It's a present from him. Now, I don't know how daddies hug, but this is how yours always hugged me."

I tightened my hold on the baby, and lowered my face to his, kissing his cheek softly. When I came back up I could see him staring up at me with big eyes, taking in every inch of my face, as if he would never see me again and wanted to remember everything. It frightened me, how he looked at me like that, and for a second I had a flash of my husband before I left him. He gave me that exact look; only…only he really would never see me again. I began to sob, great sobs that racked my body. I held my baby to me and rocked back and forth. I cried. I shed tears for myself, for my love, for my village…but must of all; I shed tears for my son. Not only would he live a life where no one would understand what he was going through, but also he would live it with out a father. I sobbed harder and whispered under my breath.

"Love, how am I supposed to do this? How am I going to be able to do this without you?"

I could hear footsteps coming towards me. They were soft, and slow, as if the person was in a sort of a daze. Then I heard a thump and the sound of clothes sliding down the wall. I turned my head to look at the new comer. What I saw was Kakashi sitting next to me. His shoulders were slumped, and he stared at Naruto in a daze. I sniffed and took a shaky breath. Kakashi's revealed eye looked over Naruto and he sighed.

"So…you're the little guy who saved our butts."

Then he stared over at me and sighed once more. No words were said. Kakashi lifted his hand and placed it on my shoulder, squeezing it slightly. I however reacted in a different way. I took an arm out from under Naruto and brought it around Kakashi's shoulders, pulling him to me. His shoulders stiffened slightly. Kakashi wasn't a very huggy person. The only person I have ever seen him hug was Rin. But slowly, his arms came around me as well, and we sat like that for a while. I knew he was uncomfortable, but he was doing it for me and that was something that I appreciated.

Within two weeks I was able to take Naruto out of the hospital. It was also the very day that we were holding the Yondaime's funeral.

Liquid fell down from the soft gray sky so it seemed like God himself was crying. The large crowds of people were all dressed in black with solemn looks on their faces. Except me. I stared with an opaque expression on my face as I looked on at the picture of the young blue-eyed blond sitting on the long table. I was standing at the front of the crowd with Rin at one side of me and Kakashi on the other. Naruto was sleeping soundly in my arms, his soft head pillowed against my chest with a serene expression on his face. My son. His son. While everyone else was thinking about my deceased husband, I was thinking about his child.

Everyone, after a few moments of prayer went up single file to leave a rose on the table. That signified the ending of the funeral. Since I was in the front, I had been one of the first to leave a rose. People passed by me; some staring at me, others mumbling among themselves, some even laid their hands on my shoulders saying that it would be ok. I wanted to call them all liars. How could it be ok? My husband was dead. Our Hokage was dead. The only people who understood how I felt were the other women who had lost their husbands and loved ones in the battle. But what angered me most was how people were staring at my son. They looked on him like he was the cause of all this. All their pain and suffering. They looked on him like he was something wrong. But who decides that? Who decides what's wrong and what's right? Right now the villagers thought that my husband's death was a bad thing. But he didn't. The Yondaime thought that it was good. He sacrificed his life and the life of his son to save thousands. He's a hero. My son was a hero too. Naruto would live his life with people fearing him. People would tell him that he was worthless, a spec, that he would be better off dead. But he would prove them wrong with his power. I would help him. Yes, my husband was dead, but he wasn't gone. His legacy would live on forever. I decided then, that I would stand strong. I would not let this break me. I had to be strong because my son had to rely on me now. I had to take care of my baby boy. Because everyone would run him into the ground, I had to put him on a pedestal, and that's exactly what I was going to do. Naruto was my treasure, something that my love gave me to make me smile, laugh, and love. I was going to do that. I would love my son until the day I died, and even after that.

A voice to my left broke me out of my thoughts. Rin had just said my name. I looked down at her and smiled softly. The fourteen year old's sad brown eyes met mine.

"What now Uzumaki-san?"

I brought my hand up and brushed her hair off her shoulder, tucking it behind her ear, much as an older sister would do for her younger sister.

"Now…now we live our lives, Rin."

"But Sensei…he's gone."

I shook my head.

"Not really."

I switched my eyes to Kakashi, asking him this question as well.

"Do you remember everything that he taught you?"

Both teens nodded.

"Then, he's not really gone. Everything that he taught you is embedded into your head and heart. Someday when you get married and have kids of your own, or someday when you become a teacher, you're going to teach your kids the same thing he taught you. Like…"

"Teamwork."

I smiled at Kakashi's comment.

"Yes teamwork. Come on, kids. Let's go."

We walked away, Rin holding my hand, her head on my shoulder in comfort, and Kakashi's hands in his pockets. We walked away from my husband's grave…and onto a new chapter in our lives.

When Naruto was three months old. I had a thought come into my head, and I inquired it to my guests.

"Rin-chan, you're a medic right?"

The fifteen year old nodded.

"Can three month olds eat ramen?"

The girl raised an eyebrow, and then seemed to take my question into consideration.

"Uh…I don't know. Maybe. It might be a little too spicy or hot for them."

Well, we'd find out. I smiled at my son, who was sitting in my lap and pounding his tiny hands on the table.

"Naruto, would you like some of mommy's ramen?"

He gurgled in response and I lifted a small bit of it with my hashi and laid it on the table next to my bowl. Then I took out my kunai and started cutting the noodles and beef until they were mush. As I was wiping the knife with my napkin, Naruto held out his small arms towards the weapon. I slid it across the table, away from him.

"Oh no, cutie, those aren't for you. Not yet anyway. No playing with Mommy's kunai. Or shuriken. Or any other sharp implements of death and destruction."

My front door opened up as Naruto grabbed a handful of ramen mess. I looked over to see my newest guest and smiled.

"Hey Kakashi, what brings you here?"

"I've come to ask if the rumors are true?"

"Rumors?"

The young Sharingan user ran a hand through his silver locks and sighed.

"Are you taking on a mission to the Land of Waves?"

I shook my head.

"I don't plan on taking any missions until Naruto is at least six months old."

Kakashi pulled out one of the chairs and sat down.

"Well, who's going to watch him when you're gone?"

Rin raised her hand.

"Present."

I smiled and nodded.

"I wouldn't be able to stand leaving my baby this soon, right Naruto?"

My son looked up at me and smiled a toothless, ramen filled grin. I laughed and kissed his head.

Three more months went by, and as expected, the Third Hokage assigned an ANBU mission to my squad and me.

"You don't have to take it if you think it's too soon."

I shook my head.

"No. It's fine."

"Does Naruto have a godmother, or father."

"My husband told me before he passed that he appointed Kakashi to look after Naruto if anything should happen to us."

"And what of when Naruto is still an infant?"

"Rin will take care of him in the nursery."

The Hokage looked me over and then nodded.

"Very well. You know your mission. Go."

We were supposed to go to the Village hidden in the Sand and help them with a battle between them and the Rock village. I didn't know that it would turn out the way that it did. Uchiha and I got cut off from the rest of the group in the woods. There were too many rock ninja. We had killed twenty of them, but our chakra was drained and there were seven more, with more coming. I saw the shuriken before he did. Uchiha already had two boys and a wife waiting for him to come home. I couldn't let…I couldn't let those boys live my son's life. Not if I could do something to stop it. So I did the only thing I could do. I threw myself on top of him and pushed him to the ground.

"Uzumaki? Uzumaki!"

My breath came a little quicker and from what I could feel, there were three shuriken embedded into my back, and one in my leg. They were in deep. I grunted and grasped the handle of the shuriken in my thigh. My scream seemed louder than it was as I pulled the crimson blade out. I looked into Uchiha's dark eyes and winced when I tried to stand up. Damn those shuriken. But I couldn't let myself go down this easily. I had worked too damn hard to become an ANBU. I was the wife of the Yondaime for God's sake! I was Uzumaki Naruto's mother! If I was going to die, I would die with my head held high, and kicking ass doing it. I would make sure that my son was proud to have the name Uzumaki. So I winced and cried out once more as I pushed myself up to my feet. My eyes caught those of Uchiha's who was also beginning to stand. He stared at me and breathed out one simple question.

"Why?"

"Because…you need to go home and be with your family."

I moved my eyes to the group of Ninja that were coming towards us.

"Now, take the forest out of here, I'll distract these bastards."

"But…"

"Uchiha! Go home, kiss your wife, and play with your sons."

"Uzumaki, I can't leave-"

I grabbed my katana from its sheath on my back and growled out one sentence to him.

"That's an order from your commander. Go!"

He turned, stopped, and then leaped into the trees. I smiled to myself, behind the fox mask, showing no fear to my enemies. Then I ran towards the group, my blade tight in my hands.

Sure, I wasn't showing fear on the outside, but on the inside…as I fought, I knew I wouldn't make it out of this. The only thing I could think was one sentence that he would never hear.

_I'm sorry Naruto, I love you._


End file.
